What is Vertigo?
Vertigo is a type of dizziness in which your body feels like it is moving through space. General dizziness is commonly described as the world moving around you. Vertigo is a type of dizziness, but not all dizziness is vertigo. Approximately 40% of people will experience vertigo at some point in their life.
People who experience vertigo will tell you the debilitating effect it can have on your life. The most common reason that someone may develop vertigo is due to something called Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPR). This is an issue with the inner ear, and the natural positional signals being sent to the brain.
However, another not so well known cause of vertigo is something called cervicogenic vertigo. Cervicogenic means “coming from the neck”. Where as BPPR has a known cause, cervicogenic vertigo can be a bit more difficult to diagnose.
What causes cervicogenic vertigo?
There are multiple ideas on what, exactly, causes cervicogenic vertigo. Presently, the most common proposed cause is that signals from the neck are altered, causing vertigo. Your neck plays a major role in letting your brain know where your body is in space. When these signals are altered, for whatever reason, this can cause your brain to interpret where you are in space improperly.
Common reasons why people may experience altered signals from the neck:
Sustained postures over many years can lead to altered neck movement, which can alter signaling to the brain.
Trauma like car accidents, falls, and sports injuries can lead to altered neck movement
Significant degeneration like those over the age of 65 or those who have auto-immune diseases may experience.
What are the symptoms of cervicogenic vertigo?
Dizziness triggered by neck movements or sustained positions
Neck pain or stiffness accompanying vertigo episodes
A sense of imbalance or lightheadedness
Headaches, often at the base of the skull
Reduced neck mobility and neck pain
An interesting study from 2019 by Thompson-Harvey et al. showed an overlap in the types of symptoms that people with cervicogenic vertigo experience, and the symptoms that migraine sufferers have. This is an interesting study because it lends ourselves to the question of whether cervicogenic vertigo could potentially be a subset of migraine. It is known that approximately 80% of migraine sufferers deal with neck pain, so those who deal with migraine with dizziness as well as neck pain may be specifically benefit from neck pain interventions.
How do we diagnose cervicogenic vertigo?
When you come into the office, we will take a history of your complaint, perform a thorough examination including balance testing, and identify if movement of the neck is something which causes your symptoms. Perhaps you get dizzy when you are shopping in the store, or when you are getting ready in the morning. The most important thing that we do is rule out the other reasons you may have dizziness or vertigo, like an inner ear problem, a vascular problem, or a brain problem. For many people, if their vertigo is caused by their neck, being still will be something that is helpful, as opposed to people whose dizziness/vertigo is coming from their brain or inner ear, who will often times feel their symptoms when at rest.
How can we help at Alameda Chiropractic & Ergonomics?
At Alameda Chiropractic & Ergonomics we utilize non-invasive techniques like the McKenzie Diagnosis and Treatment method, as well as soft tissue work and gentle adjusting to restore proper function to your body. This allows your brain to get better positional signaling from your neck, decreases pain and stiffness, and allows you to feel better fast!
We also have certifications in ergonomic assessment and rehabilitation exercise to give you the best way to continue to improve and self-manage, so that you can have more control in your life.
If you’ve been dealing with dizziness or neck pain and are looking for a solution, contact Alameda Chiropractic & Ergonomics today! We’re your partner in spine.
Comments